Killing Floor Review [PC]

03 Aug 2009 at 16:52:34 by Tim McDonald
Systems used to review this title: (PC)

Comparisons with Left 4 Dead are inevitable. Killing Floor is a Steam-based co-op shooter set amidst a zombie (sorry, “specimen”) outbreak, and co-op is emphasised in that solo attempts will almost certainly end in a messy death, probably involving the words “rending” and “limb from limb.”

Comparisons with Left 4 Dead are also somewhat ill-advised, because while Left 4 Dead is all about getting from A to B, Killing Floor is about clearing the map. Enemies come in waves – the number of which depend on the server – with enemy counts gradually increasing as bigger, nastier specimens start appearing. While things start simply enough, with only two or three fairly weak types of specimen charging at you, nasty ones start turning up all too quickly and before long you're relying on your allies to keep you alive.

This is a good thing. When Killing Floor works – when you're holed up in a ruined church, one door welded shut and the other open, the flamethrower guy out front tamping down the hordes with two others behind him with shotguns and machine guns, while you sit at the back with a rifle picking off anything that makes it through the hell of fire and lead – it's glorious and desperate in equal measures, and is wholly enjoyable because of it. The lack of crosshairs and the need for iron sights add to what fear and surprise there is, particularly with Clots – the basic specimen type – grabbing you from behind and slowing you down.

Strategy is possible. Each player chooses a perk, which generally decreases the cost of a particular weapon type and improves its power. Each perk can be levelled, generally through use of whatever weapon it's built around – to level the Sharpshooter perk, headshot things with the pistols, or rifles. For Commando, it's all about the automatic weapons. For Field Medic, heal your allies.

Yes, healing. Other than the weapons, each player has a welder and a syringe. The welder can be used to temporarily seal doors, while the syringe can be used to heal yourself or your allies, and – barring a short recharge time – never runs out. It's far more effective when used on allies, but even then it's far from an instant save. For one thing, it heals over time rather than giving an instant chunk of health. For another, most of the specimens past the first waves hit hard.

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